Midwest wildflower trundle -Part 1 - Perenjori & Camel Soak, Western Australia

 Hi all, I hope all is going well with you and yours. It is now a few weeks since we returned from our Midwest-Gold fields-Wheatbelt trundle which I promised on 23 September to share with you. Where has time gone? Life has been busy. 

Today I am sharing with you the first part of that trip.  But first a map to help you orientate - starting in Bunbury in the south west, north to Perenjori, Mullewa, Wooleen Station, then east to Sandstone, Leonora, Niagra Dam, back west and south to Karalee Rock, Elachbutting Rock, Bruce Rock and back home - 19 days - a distance of 3,588 kilometres. 

Warning - standby for a wildflower overload! But I am not a botanist, so please forgive me any errors in my identification. You can learn more about exploring Western Australia's wildflower trails here - Wildflower Country.com

We left home around 6.45am on the 1st September, with a few stops along the way up through the western wheatbelt, including Coorow (where there is a nice park to stop for lunch and an interesting history/machinery display), 

and Carnamah to see one of Monsignor John Hawe's churches - the Church of St Andrew built in 1930 - one of many churches he designed and built in the region - but that's another story. You can learn more about Monsignor Hawes life and the more than 15 churches he built  - here - Monsignor Hawes.com

We arrived in Perenjori at 1.44 pm and booked into the caravan park, which is very popular with tourists during the wildflower season - we had booked ahead.  Located just a short stroll from town, the caravan park is an ideal place to base yourself while you explore the area. There are powered and unpowered sites, and cabins. 

The name Perenjori is derived from the Aboriginal word “Perangery”, meaning water hole. Sir John Forrest conducted explorations in 1869, and surveyed the area in 1896. Gold was discovered in 1894. When the railway line was officially opened in 1915, the town’s estimated population was 100. Perenjori was officially announced as a town on February 16th 1916. Today Perenjori is one of the largest agricultural Shires in WA, with a combination of farming, pastoral and mining leases.

from Visit Perenjori website

We had enough time in the afternoon to go out to the gravel pit just north of Perenjori to see the distinctive Wreath Leschenaultia - Lechenaultia macrantha - which were just starting to flower. The turn-off is about 6km north of Perenjori. We had seen them here previously, so we knew where to look. They are a species of flowering plant in the family Goodeniaceae and is endemic to inland areas of south-western Western Australia. Wreath Leschenaultia's are a highlight of wildflower trundles. 

We also saw Upside Down Pea Bush - Leptosema daviesioides - whose flowers pop out at ground level under the bush. 

And the Emu Tree - Hakea francisiana - that has a very woody nut

And swaths of pink and white everlastings flowering by the roadside. They are called everlastings due to there papery petals. The white ones you see here are Pom-pom everlastings - Cephalipterum drummondii

On Monday morning we visited the Visitor Centre to pick up information, maps and find out from the very helpful assistant what was flowering where. The Visitor Centre is open August – October (Wildflower Season) weekdays from 10am to 2pm. There is also an interesting museum in the same building. 

First we stopped at Monsignor Hawes - St Joseph's Church. The foundation stone was laid in 1937. 

We packed a lunch bag for a wildflower day trip from Perenjori. Leaving via the Perenjori-Rothsay Road east of Perenjori, then turning onto Wanarra Road, our first stop was Orchid Ridge, 33km from Perenjori. This is a rocky ridge on private land. It is very kind of the farm owner to allow visitors onto his land, so please be respectful, don't leave rubbish, and leave gates as you find them. There are walk tracks around the rocky ridge. 

Different orchids flower at different times, and sun orchids open with the sun. We saw blue Granite Sun Orchids - Thelymitra petrophila, white spider orchids, snail orchids, and the Dainty (Shy) Blue Orchid - Cyanicula amplexans

and a new one to us - a hybrid of the Lemon-scented Sun Orchid - Thelymitra antennifera and the Granite Sun Orchid - Thelymitra petroophila - gorgeous! It was under shade so only just opening with the sun. 

We also saw the lovely purply-blue Graceful Honey Myrtle - Melaleuca radula - also new to us. 

And some more Wreath Leschenaultia 500 metres from the farm gate

From here we turned north along the Rabbit Proof Fence Road past Mongers Lake to Camel Soak. This part of the road is sand and gravel but was in a good condition when we travelled. You can't see much of the lake from the Mongers Lake lookout but you can see some of the rabbit proof fence just across the road.

 Below are fringe lilies and the bottle-brush grevillea - Grevillea paradoxa

We arrived at Camel Soak (approx 39 kms east of Perenjori) at around 11.45am. This is a great place to picnic, free-camp or just wander over the granite rock. We have camped here before. There are picnic shelters, BBQ facilities, and toilets and plenty of places to set up. No potable water. The track in can be soft and rutted when wet. The tracks are winding, so be careful of your vehicle width and overhanging branches if you are towing a caravan. 

The Camel Soak granite catchment (also known as the Rock Pool) was sunk as a watering point for men and their camel teams working on the No 2 Rabbit Proof Fence in 1903-1905. During rain the water catchment and gnamma holes on the rock fill with water.

The 1166 km long Number 2 Rabbit Proof Fence, and the 1837 km Number One Fence, stretching from Cape Keraudren on the North West coast to Starvation Harbour on the South coast, were built in an attempt to stop rabbits invading Western Australia’s agricultural regions, but did not however stop the invasion. 

During spring the area around Camel Soak is ablaze with wildflowers - particularly everlastings trailing through the bushland like a carpet. Exploring around the base of the rock and in the little rock gardens where soil has collected, you will find wild orchids. 

Below here you can see the tiny Little Laughing Leek orchid - Prasophyllum gracile, the Lemon scented sun orchid - Thelymitra antennifera, and one of the donkey orchid family. 

I love the little faces of the Lemon scented sun orchid, and can you see the ears on the donkey orchids? The Little Laughing Leek orchids are tiny - between 60-200mm tall, very slender and blend into their environment. You need to look carefully in the little rock gardens. 

And a curious plant which I haven't been able to get an identification for yet. Perhaps one of the Samphire species. 

This is one of the Cassia family

And white pom-pom and pink everlastings

 

Yellow everlastings

After lunch at Camel Soak we drove further east along the Perenjori-Warrieddar Copper Mine Road to John Forrest Lookout. The Lookout is located in the Damperwah Hills which Sir John Forrest (explorer and later WA’s first Premier) discovered and named during his failed search in 1869 for the missing German explorer Ludwig Leichhardt. In 1897 Forrest used the hill-top as a survey point during his expedition to Cue and Day Dawn. 

There is a 750 metre walk trail to the top - I am sure it is a lot steeper than the last time we visited! We have also camped here previously. Here is a view from the top. You can also visit the old Rothsay Townsite and Cemetery, but we didn't this trip. 

We'd had a big day, so we treated ourselves to a meal at the pub and visited the War Memorial across the road. Back at camp we watched the Bronze medal wheelchair rugby Paralympics game between Australia and Great Britain on the caravan park's big TV screen. Australia won by 2 points! Yay! Exciting game to watch. 

I hope you have enjoyed Part 1 of our 3 week trundle. I will be back soon with the next instalment. Do you like hunting for wild orchids? Perhaps you would like to tell us about it in your comments. 

You might also like:

Camp among the wildflowers - Camel Soak and John Forrest lookout - 2011

Hunting for wild orchids in Western Australia's midwest - 2017

Hunting for wild orchids in The Western Australian wheatbelt - 2021

For more information about Perenjori - Visit Perenjori.com.au

Perenjori caravan park - Perenjori caravan park

For more on wildflower trails - Wildflower Country

Thank you so much for stopping by. I value your comments and look forward to hearing from you. I will try to visit your blogs in return. Have a wonderful week. 
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